frelloeer



l, zsheers-sheet 1. J. FRBLLOEHR 8u F. MAHLER.

Washing-Machine.

No. 226,909. Patented April 27, -1880.

INvENToH l, 2 Sheets-Sheet 2. J. FRELLOEHR 8u F.y MAHLER, Washing-Machine.

No. 226,909. Patented April 27,1880.

UNITED STATES PATENT OEETCE.

JULIUS FRELLOHR AND FRANZ MAHLEB, OF SAN FRANCISCO, CAL.

WASHING-MACHINE.'

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 226,909, dated April 27, 1880.

Application filed December 4, 1879.

To all whom fit may concern Beit known that we, JULIUs FRELLOHR and FRANZ MAHLER, of the city and county of San Francisco, and State of California, have invented an Improved lashing-Machine; and

vwe hereby declare the following to be a full,

clear, and exact description thereof.

Our invention relates to certain improvements in that class of washing-machines in which the clothes to be cleaned are passed between rollers 5 and our improvements consist in providing apair of circumferentially grooved or corrugated rollers which are given both a rotary and endwise-reciprocating rubbing motion by peculiar mechanism operated by a foottreadle, in combina-tion -with peculiar dogs or lugs provided with a swinging` arm, by means of which the direction of rotation of the rollers is controlled, the dogs or lugs being provided with adjustable bolts, by which the feed of the rollers is regulated. The rubbing action ofthe rollers is such that the clothes are washed in a' manner similar to the operation when performed by hand, while at the same time no injury is done to them, the rollers being mounted on elastic bearings, as is more fully described in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure l is a perspective view of our machine. Fig. 2 is a transverse vertical section.

Fig. 3 is a vertical section through the standalso pivoted to the upper part of the frame.

At a suitable position on this lever Gr is hinged the connecting-rod H, which operates the crank-shaft, as shown, said crank-shaft being thus rotated by a compound lever formed of the connecting-rod F and lever Gr and rod H. This is a balance-treadle, and may be operated from one side only or both, as desired.

Secured to the upper end of the bifurcated arm of the treadle E is another bifurcated arm. I, pivoted below, the arms extending up ou each side of the frame, as shown.

The object of this construction is that We may be enabled to work the operating-levers and crank-shaft by hand as well as by treadle power when desired.

The pivot of the lower bifurcated arm may be removed and only the hand-lever used, if required; but ordinarily either foot or hand power may be used without disturbing any of the parts.

The hand-lever can be worked from one side only, or both sides, as is most convenient.

In one ofthe standards J on the upper part of the frame is a centrally-pivoted rocking or vibrating arm, K, to which motion is imparted by the cam a ou the crank-shaft. This arm will reciprocate the rollers M M, as herein described, no matter in which direction the crank-shaft is rotated.

The shafts L, carrying the-rollers M M are ,each provided with two collars, b. Between these collars the shafts pass through blocks N, provided with lugs or trunnions c. These lugs or trunnions rit in the slots Zin the sides of the rocking arm K. One of the shafts L is aboie and one below the centra-l pivot of the rocking arm. As the arm K is rocked back and forth by the cam on the crank-shaft an alternating reciprocating motion is imparted to the rollers, as well as av rotary one, as hereinafter described.

The arrangement of the collars, blocks, and lugs on the roller-shafts and rocking arm is such as to allow the shafts L a reciprocating motion in their bearings, one roller moving in Y one direction while the other moves in the opposite. By this means a transverse rubbing motion is given to any articles between the rollers, which will effectually cleanse them.

By setting the hand-lever Q, controlling the connecting-rod P and bars O, with their pawls in the center, all the pawls are thrown out of gear. The rollers will then reciprocate only, and not feed, thus rubbing any particular part of the clothes desired more thoroughly.

Above each end of the shaft L, carrying the upper roller, is anelastic strip or spring, e, the object of which is to cause an elastic press- IOO .,. C Y -I I i ure' of the upper roller on the lower, so that greater or less thickness of clothes may pass between the rollers anda const-ant pressure be maintained. There will be, moreover, no danger of injuring the clothes by passing them between the rollers when one is thus placed in elastic bearings.

On one side of each standard is a centrallypivoted bar, O, these two bars being connected at their upper ends by means of a rod, l.

Pivoted on the upper cross-bar of the frame is a right-angled lever or movable hand-rod. Q. On the inner side of this'lever Q is a springrod,f, which fits in an eye, g, inthe center of the connecting-rod P. A spring, R, across the top of the frame bears against thegrooved head of the lever Q, and by its tension holds said lever Q in any position it may be put.

Swiveled or pivoted on the sides of the standards near the pivoted bars O are camshaped pawls S S' T T', by means of which the rotary motion is imparted to the rubbingrollers, and by which said rollers are rotated in either direction.

The rubbing-rollers are provided on their ends with ratchets h, with which the pawls S S' T T' engage. As the bars O are swung over by the rod l? the lower pawl, S', and upper pawl, T, arc dropped forward to engage with the ratchets ou their respective rollers, so that as the rollers, by their reciprocating motion, are brought in contact with said pawls they are rotated by the pawls coming in contact with the ratchets. In this way one roller is rotated in one way and the other iu the other, the pawl S' moving the lower roller upward and the pawl T moving thc upper one downward. This action of the rollers draws the clothesout of and away from the tub.

W'hen it is desired to give the clothes a stronger rubbing, or when two tubs are used and the clothes are drawn from one to the other and back again, the rotary motion ofthe rollers may be reversed.

The direction of the crank-shaft is immaterial, the remainder of the mechanism operatin g the same in either case.

By throwing over the movable hand-rod Q its spring-rod ttting in the eye g, moves the connecting-rod P, which swings both the pivoted bars O and brings the other pawls, S and T', forward, so they will engage with the rollers, the other pawls, S'. T, being drawn back out of contact with the ratehets. Then the pawl S will move the upper rollers upward, and the pawl T' will move the lower downward, so the rollers will move in opposite dircctions.

On suitable lugs l oii the pawls and bars O are adj ustingscrew-rodsU, having nuts, which may be screwed back and forth, so as to drop the pawls more or less toward the ratchets of the rollers. By means of these adjusting-rods the feed of the rollers may be regulated, the pawl being allowed by them to have more or less motion. When the pawls drop forward roller, as shown, where a continual stream will be'delivered to the rollers and mingle with the clothes passing between them. Suitable drip-pans Y direct the water back into the tubs again.

The corrugatioiis m on the rollers are in line with the rotation of the said rollers, so that as the rollers are reciprocated the clothes between them are rubbed by the corrugations going back and forth over them, as knuckles would do in washing by hand. During the operation a stream of water is pouring over the clothes, and they are kept saturated, as they would be in being rubbed on a wash-board and dipped in and out of the water.

The elastic bearings of the rollers prevent the clothes being torn or in any way injured, and they require no handling after once being put in the tub and started through the rollers.

The machine may be operated, if desired, by two persons working on opposite sides of the treadle, the crank-shaft moved by the compound levers connected with the treadle rotating, feeding, and reciprocating the rollers and pumping up the water, as described.

This machine is simple in operation and very effective, performing its ofiice very much in the manner as if the clothes were washed and scrubbed by hand.

lt will be evident the machine may be operated by steam-power, if desired, by suitable connection with the fly-wheel and crankshaft.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The rotating rollers 'M M', with their vertical corrugations m, shafts L, elastic shaftbearings c, and collars l) b, in combination with the vibrating arm K, with its blocks N, having lugs or trunnionsc fitting in the slots d, and the crank-shaft C, with its cam a, operated by the treadle and levers, as shown, whereby a reciprocating motion is imparted to the rotating rollers and the clothes between them scrubbed, substantially as herein described.

2. In combination with the reciprocating corrugated rollers M M', with their ratchets h, the oppositely-placed pawls S S' T T', with their operating-bars O, having' the connecting-rod P, provided with an eye, g, in which fits the spring-rod j' of the hand-lever Q, said hand -lever bearing against the spring R,

IOO

IIO

Y whereby rotary motion is imparted to the rollers is regulated7 substantially as herein deers in either direction simultaneously with the scribed. reciprocating motion7 substantially as herein In Witness whereof we have hereunto set described. our hands.

5 3. In combination with the pawis T T' and -a operating-bars O, said pawls being adapted to engage with the ratchets h of the corru- L gated reciprocating rollers M M' and impart Witnesses:

E a rotary motion to said rollers, the adjusting- FRIEDRICH NAOHTSHEIM,

`ro screw rods U, whereby the feed of the roll- CEAS. G. YALE. 

